[Golf Rules... Knowledge Is Power] Wrong Ball Play Can Occur Even with Your Own Ball

Seoyeon Kwon Disqualified at 15th Hole of Lotte Open 2nd Round
Dropped a New Ball on 13th Hole, Mistaking Her Shot for Landing in the Pond
Mistakenly Played Original Ball Found Alive in the Rough
Major Rules Violation Leads to Disqualification

Golf is a sport without referees. It is known as a "gentleman's sport," where golfers are expected to follow the rules on their own. The rules of golf are created as "assistants" to help players during the game. If you understand them well and use them appropriately, they can greatly help you manage your score. These are golf rules that weekend golfers must know.

Seoyeon Kwon was disqualified from the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour. On July 4, at the Bears Best Cheongna Golf Club (par 72) in Incheon, she was notified of her disqualification at the tee box of the 15th hole during the second round of the Lotte Open. This was because it was discovered that she had committed a wrong ball play on the 13th hole (par 5).

Seoyeon Kwon was disqualified for a rules violation during the second round of the Lotte Open. Photo by KLPGA

Seoyeon Kwon did not hit someone else's ball on the 13th hole. She hit her own ball, but it was still ruled as a wrong ball play. The shot she aimed at the green went into a penalty area. Believing her ball had landed in the pond, Seoyeon Kwon took out a new ball and dropped it. However, she then discovered that her original ball was still in play, caught in the rough. Pleased that her ball had not gone into the water, she played her original ball onto the green and finished the hole.

However, the moment she dropped a new ball, assuming her original ball was in the penalty area, the original ball became "dead" and could no longer be played. If Seoyeon Kwon had continued play with the dropped ball, it would not have been a wrong ball play. Additionally, even if she finished the hole with her original ball, if she had realized before teeing off on the 14th hole that she had committed a wrong ball play, and had gone back to the 13th hole to drop a new ball and finish the hole, she could have avoided this critical rules violation.

The KLPGA Tour competition committee received a report of Seoyeon Kwon's wrong ball play on the 13th hole while she was playing the 14th hole. They waited for her at the 15th hole tee box, listened to her explanation, and then notified her of her disqualification. Seoyeon Kwon debuted on the regular tour in 2022. She has not yet won a tournament, and her best results as a rookie are runner-up finishes at the Nexen-Saintnine Masters and the DB Group Korea Women's Open.